2018 seems to be the year that women are standing up and being noticed, and it’s hard not to get excited when we see what these women are achieving. Looking in our own backyard, Australia has its fair share of successful and driven women who are taking the world by storm and showing all of us what we can be capable of, with so many amazing stories of entrepreneurship and innovation.
Australian women have always been gifted at growing things from the beginning, and some notable Australian entrepreneurs have proven this. Each year, Smart Company compiles a list of the country’s most successful business people, and their list of the Top 30 Australian Female Entrepreneurs of 2017 has plenty of names worth mentioning. We’ve chosen just a few of our favourites to grace the list and prove that women really can do it all.
Tammy Barton
When 22-year-old Tammy Barton left her job at a law firm to start her own business, she probably had no idea it would earn her the $38 million in revenue that it did last year. Tammy Barton is the founder of the MyBudget website which serves over 65,000 people in Australia and employs more than 250 staff. Tammy won the Female Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Female Entrepreneur Awards in 2015 and has been commended for her great success in the usually male-dominated financial services sector.
Lorna Jane Clarkson
There probably isn’t a woman in this country who doesn’t know the amazing name Lorna Jane, and the woman standing behind the brand, Lorna Jane Clarkson, has a seriously impressive story to match. Lorna Jane started the activewear brand 27 years ago with her husband, and it has since grown to more than 200 stores in 14 countries across the world. Since 1990, the brand has developed to be one of Australia’s most popular activewear lines, earning revenue of $190 million last year.
Sue Ismiel
As one of Australia’s leading hair removal brands, Nad’s has a long history that started with very humble beginnings. Over 27 years ago, Sue Ismiel launched the company with just $5,000 to her name and a product she believed in, even though she had no sales or marketing experience. Sue worked tirelessly to grow the brand herself and succeeded in making Nad’s a household name. In 2017, the brand earned revenue of $42 million, and Sue and her husband remain sole owners of the company with their three daughters working alongside them.
Michelle Bridges
Australia’s most beloved fitness guru, Michelle Bridges, believes that never taking no for an answer was the key to her success. Michelle first began her career with a television spot alongside Kerri-Anne Kennerley, then progressed to the popular “The Biggest Loser” television show. Bridges built herself an empire with a popular weight loss subscription service, exercise equipment, and best-selling fitness books, making her an estimated $60 million in 2017.
Kristina Karlsson
If you’ve ever walked into a kikki K store you know just how amazing the atmosphere is, with the ability to motivate and excite you about your life just by looking through their products. Kristina Karlsson started the iconic stationery brand when she decided she wanted to do something in life that truly excited her. She woke up with an idea early one morning, and the rest is history. The company’s revenue exceeded $60 million in 2015 and now has over 80 boutique stores in countries around the world. In addition to their stellar stationery range, kikki K also offers in-store classes on how to best use their products.
Carolyn Creswell
We’ve all probably tasted a delicious Carman’s muesli bar before without giving much thought to the brand, but iconic Australian business woman Carolyn Creswell has a fascinating story about how it began. Buying the company for just $1,000 in 1992 and making and packing the packets of muesli herself as an 18-year-old uni student, Carolyn has managed to grow it into one with $100 million revenue to report. This is even more amazing when you consider she used to market the muesli by standing in the supermarket aisle herself and loudly proclaim how delicious it was.
Celebrating Successful Women
For many of us, just seeing the achievements of our fellow women and knowing that they started with nothing is all the motivation we need. Times have certainly changed for the female population of Australia, and it now seems more achievable than ever to reach your goals if you put in the hard work for them.
The team at Peachymama is dedicated to empowering women to have it all – or as much as they want, so for more posts on juggling the work-life balance and doing it successfully, we invite you to explore the other posts here.
Further Reading:
https://hercanberra.com.au/cplife/fostering-australian-female-entrepreneurs/
https://www.smartcompany.com.au/lists/australias-top-30-female-entrepreneurs-2017/